Steve Jobs’ Ideas and Leadership free essay sample

US management and leadership: Steve Jobs Table of contents Introduction I/ Brief Biography of Steve Jobs II/ Steve Jobs: A Charismatic Leader III/ Steve Jobs’ Ideas and Leadership Conclusion References Introduction The aim of this assignment is to consider the leadership style of the Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs through the analysis of the articles and works connected with his business activity. Steve Jobs is the current CEO and co-founder of Apple, Inc. Steve Jobs also was the CEO and majority shareholder of Pixar until the animation studio was acquired by Disney in 2006. However, Jobs is currently on the board of directors at Disney, and is the companys largest individual share holder. Early Years Steve Jobs was born in San Francisco, California, and was put up for adoption at birth. His adopted parents named him Steven Paul Jobs, and grew up just south of his birthplace in Cupertino, California. After attending local, Homestead High School, Jobs enrolled Reed College in Portland, Oregon, but dropped out after only one semester. We will write a custom essay sample on Steve Jobs’ Ideas and Leadership or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In 1974, Jobs moved back to California and shortly after went on a spiritual journey to India. Soon after returning home, Jobs and Steve Wozniak founded Apple Computers. Steve Jobs and Apple Initially founded as a partnership between Jobs and Wozniak, Apple went public in 1980 with the advent and success of the Apple II. On the heels of Apples ascent, Jobs hired John Sculley a, then, top executive at Pepsi. However, in 1984 a sales slump caused a contentious relationship between Scully and Jobs the result of which found Jobs unemployed. Jobs Other Projects In 1986, Jobs founded NeXT Computer. Although the company garnered a strong following for its sophisticated machinery, neXT was unable to jump into the mainstream, and in an interesting turn-of-events, was bought by Apple in 1996. This brought Jobs back to the company that he founded. Jobs Returns to Apple Placed as the interim CEO, after the ousting of Gil Amelio, Jobs regained the board’s confidence, and significantly increased sales through developments in design and the introduction of the iMac. In the coming years, Jobs reestablished Apple as one of the most cutting-edge tech companys in the sector. With emphasis on design, exemplified in such products as the iPod, Apple was able to re-market them as a trendy, household name. Steve Jobs was a pioneer in the personal computer industry. He was instrumental in bringing computers to the masses spawning a multi-million dollar industry. Apples attractive, small and inexpensive computers were an instant success. This assignment examines in detail the leadership and entrepreneurial skills of Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computers (a leading Information Technology company) and Pixar (a leading US animation studio). Steves role in shaping the computer industry through Apples revolutionary products and a few unconventional business practices has been explored in detail. The case also discusses the aspects of Steves personality that were appreciated by many businessmen and industry leaders. The ups and downs in Steves career graph and the way in which he overcame the obstacles are discussed in detail. Steves departure from Apple and his comeback have been explored in depth. This paper is an attempt to analyze one of the prominent leaders of the present time through the key features, which make him that prominent. The key issues to be analyzed are what personal and business characteristics the leader possesses and should possess to make it stably profitable, recognizable and trusted through the application of the leadership style peculiar of Steve Jobs, the Apple’s CEO and the person who has made Apple company one of the key players on the market of advanced technologies. I/ Brief biography of Steve jobs In the seventies innovative ideas and a drive for business were enough to produce very successful companies and some of the wealthiest men nowadays. The person who had the vision that would change the world of computing was Steven Paul Jobs who co-founded Apple Computers and NeXTStep. This man thanks to his unbounded energy and his striving for perfection has provoked profound changes in our world and he has given to the world the best animated movies such as Toy Story and Monsters Inc. Steven was adopted in 1955 by Paul and Clara Jobs, he was an orphan. During the school years he worked for Hewlett –Packard in Palo Alto, California where he met Stephen Wozniak with whom he co –founded Apple Computers in 1976. The two designed and built the Apple 1 in Jobs` House and had to sell their belongings to start the company that was named Apple in memory of a happy working summer in a farm. The Apple 1 was the first computer at that price that could load programs from an external source and it was ideal for hobbyist.